160 SUMMER-TIDE IN A HIGHLAND FOREST 



of a salmon-fly must be displayed only smallest grilse, 

 or medium sea-trout sizes, on fine gut. Such was the 

 gear I was rigging when a clean-run grilse sprang high 

 above the wave to encourage me, and in three minutes 

 more a tiny Dunkeld a fairy-like creature with golden 

 body, masking a couple of keenly barbed points was 

 dancing over his lair. What a brave dash it was that 

 bent the supple greenheart, and sent the reel spinning ! 

 Habet ! he is fast, and fiercely resents the knowledge 

 thereof, tearing down to the very brink of the cascade, 

 where the water leaves Linfad. It flashed across my 

 thought what a rare lesson this would have been for that 

 dear old bottom -fisher, Izaak Walton, whom his irrever- 

 ent contemporary and rival, Franck, denounced as a 

 fumbler and plagiary, ' scribbling and transcribing other 

 men's notions,' and who never saw a fishing-reel in his 

 life, only had it on report that ' some use a wheel about 

 the middle of their rod, or near their hand, which is to be 

 observed better by seeing one of them than by a large 

 demonstration of words.' This would have been the 

 moment for him to put in practice the manoeuvre he 

 prescribed to trustful Venator : 



' It may be that by giving that very great trout the rod 

 that is, by casting it to him into the water I might have caught 

 him at the long run ; for so I use always to do when I meet 

 with an overgrown fish.' 



But it is seldom that a fish will run of his free will out 

 of a good holding pool where he has been hooked, and 

 just as I am getting apprehensive of grief in the gorge 

 below, this one turns sharp, races up again, and throws 

 himself high in the air. 



